NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR THE REFORM OF MARIJUANA LAWS
1001 CONNECTICUT AVENUE NW
SUITE 1010
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036
TEL 202-483-5500 * FAX 202-483-0057
E-MAIL natlnorml@aol.com
Internet http://www.norml.org/
    ... a weekly service for the media on news items related to
Marijuana
                                Prohibition.
                              November 26, 1996
     U.S. Senate To Hold Hearing Regarding Medical Marijuana
Initiatives
      November 26, 1996, Washington, D.C.:  The Senate Judiciary
Committee has scheduled a hearing on Monday, December 2, regarding
the potential impact of and federal response to voter-approved
drug reform initiatives in California and Arizona that endorse
the use of marijuana as a medicine.  The committee, headed by
vocal medical marijuana opponents Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and
Joe Biden (D-Del.), has entitled the hearing: "A Prescription
for Addiction?  The Arizona and California Medical Drug Use
Initiatives." Biden and others previously voiced their disapproval
over the notion of medical marijuana at a September 4 hearing
regarding adolescent drug use.
      Among those who have reportedly been invited to attend the
hearing are Drug Czar Barry Mccaffrey, California Attorney General
Dan Lungren, Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates, Drug Enforcement
Administrator Thomas Constantine, and Maricopa County Prosecutor
Rick Romley, all ardent opponents of the initiatives.  Reportedly,
neither McCaffrey nor Lungren is likely to appear because of
scheduling conflicts.  It is expected that a physician opposed to
medical marijuana will be brought in to testify as well.
      In defense of the initiatives, NORML is currently working with
Senate Judiciary Committee member Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) to try to
get Harvard Medical Professor, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, scheduled to
testify at the hearing.  Grinspoon is a member of NORML's Board of
Directors and has authored numerous books and articles in
scientific journals regarding marijuana's therapeutic value.  At
this time, the committee has yet to make a final decision.
      Since the initiatives' passage, proponents have speculated as to
whether the federal government will target physicians and patients who
comply with the new state laws.  So far, no specific recommendations
have come from the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
Both McCaffrey and the Drug Enforcement Administration have issued
statements affirming that federal law prohibiting cultivation and
possession of marijuana remain in full force despite the states'
actions.
      The California initiative says that, "Patients or defined
caregivers, who possess or cultivate marijuana for medical treatment
recommended by a physician, are exempt from the general provisions of
law which otherwise prohibit possession or cultivation of marijuana."
It further provides that, "Physicians shall not be punished or denied
any right or privilege for recommending marijuana to a patient for
medical purposes."  The Act does not supersede state legislation
prohibiting persons from possessing or cultivating marijuana for
non-medical purposes.  California voters approved the measure by a
vote of 56 to 44 percent.
      Proposition 200 in Arizona, known as the "Drug Medicalization,
Prevention and Control Act," is broader than California's measure and
would essentially "medicalize" Arizona's drug policy.  The Act calls
for mandatory, court supervised treatment and probation as an
alternative to incarceration for non-violent drug users and provides
expanded drug treatmrnent programs.  It also permits doctors to
prescribe controlled drugs such as marijuana to patients suffering
from serious illnesses such as glaucoma, multiple sclerosis, cancer,
and AIDS.  Arizonans voted in favor of the initiative by a vote of 65
to 35 percent.
      "The voters of California and Arizona have given a mandate to
Washington to address the issue of access to medical marijuana," said
NORML Deputy Director Allen St. Pierre.  "Unfortunately, by limiting
the invitees to mainly law enforcement personnel, it appears that
this hearing will be far from balanced.  Hopefully, subsequent
hearings will feature broader points of view and will allow both
doctors and patients to testify."
      For more information, please contact Allen St. Pierre of NORML @
(202) 483-5500.
                                    -END-
   MORE THAN 10 MILLION MARIJUANA ARRESTS SINCE 1965 ...
   ANOTHER EVERY 54 SECONDS!
---
 þ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 þ
---------------